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UA weather TODAY INSIDE

Today’s paperCapstone Creed Week starts today .............2

Opinions: Homosexuals deserve equality ......4

Sports: UA Paintball team on the rise ...............6

Football: Signing day finally here ..............7

ʻSlumdogʼ proves to be one of yearʼs best ....8

ABC approves licence for new Booth ...........web

Wednesday, Feburary 4, 2009 Serving the University of Alabama since 1894 Vol. 115, Issue 81

LIFESTYLES66 ‘Pineapple Express’

high on hilarity

By Danielle DragoSenior Staff Reporter

Long lines to the coffee counter and triple espresso shots are nothing new to col-lege campuses, but excessive caffeine consumption can take its toll on students. The average 8 oz. cup of cof-fee has about 145 milligrams of caffeine, while the average 1.5 oz. shot of espresso has 77 milligrams. However, most

beverages at coffee shops contain much more than that serving size; for instance a Starbucks Venti contains 20 oz. Large amounts of caffeine, however, do not hinder stu-dents from enjoying their favorite pick-me-up. “I drink four to six cups [of coffee] a day,” said David Brown, a sophomore majoring

By Christy RoachStaff Reporter

Students will be able to gain a deeper understanding of the Israeli-Arab conflict on Thursday at the Ferguson Center. Khaled Abu Toameh will speak to students on the issues facing that area of the Middle East. The Committee for Accuracy in the Middle East Reporting in America is hosting Toameh. He will speak from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Mortar Board Room Ferguson Center.

Cody Smith, a fellow for CAMERA, said he thinks the University needs to be more educated on issues in the Middle East. “Most information we get is distorted by the media or word of mouth,” Smith said. Smith said they wanted to have someone speak to stu-dents about working in the Middle East. He said the lec-ture is open to all students and faculty members who are interested in conflicts

Israeli journalist lectures students on Middle East

Java for thoughtCoffee addiction grips students

Anti-Machine flyers appear on campus

CW | Marion R WaldingStudents walk past a bulletin board with orange fl yers concerning the Machine, a coalition of traditionally white fraternities and sororities that is said to control campus politics at the Uni-versity. These fl yers appeared in several different areas of campus Tuesday morning. The fl yers contain no other information regarding any reasons for their sudden appearance, and were seen in the Ferguson Center, Reese Phifer Hall, ten Hoor Hall and Rowand-Johnson Hall.

Reporter leaves technology behind for a day; gathers insight from professors

By Victor LuckersonStaff Reporter

On Monday I became a ghost. Not in the Casper sense or anything — I just turned my cell phone off, slid my laptop under my bed and found myself suddenly cut off from the world. This is the story of that peculiar day, aided by some insight from UA professors, on the ways technology affects our soci-ety.

8 a.m.

“In our culture, the 18-34 market has been affected much more dramatically by mobile media than has any other age group,” communications professor Jennings Bryant said. No kidding. From the moment I opened my eyes, my day without technology was different. I had to stumble over to the blaring alarm clock and beat it into submission since I couldn’t use my typical cell phone alarm. My pocket felt woefully light as I trudged to class. I imagined my poor LG Scoop sitting in my

CW | Norman HuynhDavid Potter, a senior majoring in horn performance, uses his cell phone to browse the Internet for orchestra audition requirements.

See DARK, page 3

By Ryan WrightAssistant Sports Editor

Director of Athletics Mal Moore announced Tuesday that the University is planning an $80 million expansion to the south end zone of Bryant-Denny Stadium. The project, which would round out the upper deck, would add 9,000 seats and 36 skyboxes, bringing the stadium’s capacity to roughly 101,000. With an ever-increasing waiting list for football tickets, Moore cited the increased demand as a reason for the expansion. “Interest in our football program is at an all-time high,” Moore said. “We have had an unbelievable demand for tickets in the past couple of years. We have over 10,000 on the waiting list for tickets. You have to figure that each of these would buy two, possibly three, possibly four tickets. This says that we could actually

use 30,000-35,000 additional seats.” The waiting list exceeds 10,000 for those who have no tickets at all. In addi-tion, some 3,000 current ticket holders have expressed interest in purchasing extra tickets. Plans have not been finalized, but according to a University release, the new upper deck seating will be used to accommodate students, staff amd faculty members, TIDE PRIDE members and former UA lettermen. “We need more seats for our students,” Moore said. “The President has grown the University. We’ve broken enrollment records for five straight years. There’s more demand, more need for student tickets, so this is another reason why we need to build this stadium.” The University has already received commitments for 25 of the 36 skyboxes,

FOOTBALL

UA introduces stadium expansion plan

See JAVA, page 2

See STADIUM, page 7UA Athletics

An artistʼs rendering of the stadiumʼs south endzone after expansion.

Fast facts

• 8,500 Upper Deck seats • 1,700 South Zone Club seats• 36 Sky Boxes• 2 Corner Jumbo-trons• Completion project-ed for 2010 season• Athletic department not to recieve funds from state or UA

By Karissa BurschStaff Reporter

Following the environmentaltrend of many of the University’srecent events, the University will have its first teach-in on climate change Thursday inAmelia Gayle Gorgas Library from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. The teach-in will be com-prised of a variety of profes-sors who will lecture on climatechange in different contexts.There will be topics rang-ing from campus energy sav-ings, a lecture given by RobertMartin, an energy engineer,to state and local initiatives for climate change, a lecturegiven by Tuscaloosa’s Mayor Walt Maddox, according to the

Gorgas to host climate lecture

See CLIMATE, page 2

SPORTS6 UA Paintball gainsUA Paintball gains

national recognition national recognition

See LECTURE, page 3

On Monsense or off, slidsud

Oscar front-runner deserving of hype 8

The Crimson White is the community newspaper of The University of Alabama. The Crimson White is an editorially free newspaper produced by students. The University of Alabama cannot influence editorial decisions and editorial opinions are those of the editorial board and do not represent the official opinions of the University. Advertising offices of The Crimson White are on the first floor, Student Publications Building, 923 University Blvd. The advertising mailing address is P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. The Crimson White (USPS 138020) is published weekly June, July and August, and is published four times a week September through April except for spring break, Thanksgiving, Labor Day and the months of May and December. The Crimson White is provided for free up to three issues. Any other papers are $1.00. The subscription rate for The Crimson White is $125 per year. Checks should be made payable to The University of Alabama and sent to: The Crimson White Subscription Department, P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. The Crimson White is entered as periodical postage at Tuscaloosa, AL 35401. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Crimson White, P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. All material contained herein, except advertising or where indicated other-wise, is Copyright © 2008 by The Crimson White and protected under the “Work Made for Hire” and “Periodical Publication” categories of the U.S. copyright laws. Material herein may not be reprinted without the expressed, written permis-sion of The Crimson White.

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EDITORIAL

THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY1861: Delegates from six states that had recently seceded from the Union meet in Montgomery to establish the Confederate States of America. Four days later this provisional Confederate Congress, comprising representatives of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina, organized the Confederacy with the adoption of a provisional constitution.

Source: Alabama State Archives

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to cwnews@sa.ua.edu

PAGE WEDNESDAY

• Capstone Creed Week — Through Feb. 11, kickoff at 11 a.m., Ferguson Plaza

THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY• Capstone Creed Week presents Faculty/Staff vs. Students Quiz Bowl — 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Ferguson Plaza

• Artrageous Riverfront Arts Tour — 5 to 9 p.m.

• Capstone Creed Week pres-ents “No Officials” Dodgeball Tournament — 6 to 10 p.m., Student Recreation Center

• UA School of Music presents the Alabama Wind Ensemble — 7:30 p.m., Moody Music Building Concert Hall

Wednesday February 4, 20092

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• Joe Greenwood, zones 3, (McFarland), 348-8735, sm-cwzone3-7@sa.ua.edu • Lance Hutchison, zone 4 (Northport), 348-8054, zone4@sa.ua.edu • Chris Green, zone 6 (15th Street), 348-6876, chrispgreen1@gmail.com• Jake Knott, zone 7 (Skyland Blvd.) 348-8742, jknott23@gmail.com

• Carly Jayne Rullman, zone 8 (the Strip and downtown), 348-6875, zone8@sa.ua.edu• Dana Andrzejewski, zone 44 (downtown and down-town Northport), 348-6153, zone44@sa.ua.edu• Jarrett Cocharo, zone 55 (campus), 348-2670• Torri Blunt, nontraditional advertising, 348-4381, sm-territorymanager1@sa.ua.edu• Emily Frost, classifieds coordinator, 348-7355, sm-cwclassmgr@sa.ua.edu• Amanda Lacey, creative services manager, 348-8042, cwadv@sa.ua.edu

We want to list your birthday here. Send your name, birthdate, year and major to cwnews@sa.ua.edu. Put “birthday” in the subject line. And look for birthday

greetings from us on your special day.

Sally Callaway, junior majoring in nursing

By Amy CastleberryContributing Writer

Capstone Creed Week, a week dedicated to the ideals of the Capstone Creed, is in its fourth year of collaborative events promoting academic integrity and responsibility on campus. This year’s theme, “Crimson is Integrity: Celebrating the Capstone Creed,” is an important message to SGA vice president for academic affairs Brandon Clark. “What we want to do is foster a culture of positive academic integrity and generate a feeling of responsibility academically on campus,” Clark said. Clark said the SGA and Academic Honors Council will kick off the first event of Capstone Creed Week tomorrow at the Ferguson Plaza in front of the water fountain. The groups will host speakers including SGA president Cason Kirby and Academic Honor Council presi-dent Todd Raines. “I consider this whole week to be very much a collaborative effort,” Raines said. Raines said each day of Capstone Creed Week breaks down the Capstone Creed line by line and utilizes the creed as a reigning theme for each day. “We want all of the events to generate communication and a sense of community between

students on campus,” Raines said. The kickoff event, complete with free Denny Dogs provided by SGA, will be followed by the Academic Honor Council’s roundtable discussion on busi-ness ethics in 121 Bidgood Hall at 1 p.m. The kickoff event prefaces a week of events to follow. Thursday’s events will focus on the phrase found in the creed, “I will pursue knowledge,” accord-ing to a press release provided by Director of student involve-ment Corrie Harris, students will be able to challenge faculty and staff members to an intellec-tual quiz bowl tournament at the Ferguson Center at 11 a.m. In addition, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Graduate Student Association will host information tables in the Ferguson Center detailing study tips and graduate school options. “This is the first time Capstone Creed Week will be celebrated simultaneously with Academic Integrity Week,” Harris said. “It’s a great way for all of our sponsors and students to get involved and interact with one another.” According to the release, Friday’s events will focus on the creed’s phrase, “I will act with fairness, honesty and respect.” Crossroads Community Center along with several student

organizations will host a “First Friday” event. A dodgeball tournament in the Student Recreation Center will end the night’s events; however, it will be played with no referees. Students will be expected to play with integrity and be respectful towards one another. The week will continue on Monday according to the release with a focus on the phrase, “I will foster civic responsibility.” The Community Service Center will host campus-wide volunteer events throughout the day, fol-lowed by a party for volunteers in the Campus Programs Lounge at the Ferguson Center at 5 p.m. At 7 p.m., the Blackburn Institute, Freshmen Forum and the National Council of Negro Women will hold a dis-cussion titled “What is Civic Engagement?” in the Ferguson Forum. On Tuesday, the final phrase of the Creed, “I will strive for excel-lence” will host a roundtable discussion about juicycampus.com at 11 a.m. in the Ferguson Forum. “This will be an interesting discussion focusing on the ques-tion, whether it is ethical to post on Web sites such as these,” Raines said. Immediately after the juicyc-ampus.com discussion, students, staff and faculty members can have a roundtable discussion

about facebook.com and wheth-er the screening of profiles byemployers is ethical or not, Raines said. The day will end with the Capstone Hero Award. “This award recognizes an individual or group’s dedicationto the Capstone Creed,” said Harris. The ceremony and reception will be held at 4 p.m. in AmeliaGayle Gorgas Library. Finally, UA football head coach Nick Saban will end the week byspeaking on the importance ofintegrity on and off the football field. “This is our final event but we wanted to approach it with as much enthusiasm as the oth-ers,” Raines said. “It touches on and reiterates the values of the week.” Saban will speak Wednesday, Feb. 11 in the Ferguson Ballroomat about 11:45 a.m. The event is free-of-charge although studentswill have to reserve their spot at crimsonartstickets.com. “We’ve put a lot of time and promotion into this week,”Raines said. “I know all of the sponsors are excited about the events and would encourageeveryone to come and supportour efforts. We hope the weekwill instill the values and morals of the Capstone Creed in peoplethroughout the course of the year.”

Capstone Week to focus on CreedApplications for Outstanding Senior

Award now availableAlpha Lambda Delta Honor Society is sponsoring the Outstanding Senior Award, which rewards up to two senior students who have made extraordinary contributions to the University or the Tuscaloosa community through his or her academic and extracurricular activities. The application for the award can be found at honorsocieties.ua.edu/awards.htm. The application is due Feb. 16 by 4 p.m. For further information, please contact Benton Atchison at bentonatchison@gmail.com.

JAVAContinued from page 1

An excessive consumption of caffeine can lead to drawbacks, as Brown has discovered. “Honestly, I drink so much, mostly, because if I don’t, I get withdrawals. I get nauseous and [have] headaches,” he said. Students also cite the neces-sity of staying focused in class as a reason drinking large quantities of coffee. “I probably drink more than I should, but it gets me through class,” said Courtney Belcher, a freshman majoring in inter-national business. Late night study sessions also prompt students to drink coffee. “I drink coffee mainly at night to study. It helps me stay awake,” said Kelly Michelle Lewis, a sophomore majoring in marketing. Belcher also said coffee was beneficial when preparing for tests. “I’m almost always drinking coffee when studying really hard,” she said. Emily Sanderson, a fresh-man majoring in human devel-opment hadn’t started drinking coffee until she started attend-ing college and studying. “I still only drink one cup of coffee a day, if that, but it helps me in class,” she said. The point at which coffee drinking becomes excessive is relative to the individual, according to Ralph Lane, a

professor with the Department of Human Nutrition. “Some coffee drinkers have a higher tolerance for its stim-ulating effect than others. On average, three to four cups are consumed per day by 110,000 U.S. coffee drinkers,” he said. Although reports by major health organizations regard-ing the effects of coffee and caffeine are contradictory, most experts agree that exces-sive caffeine intake can cause major health problems. “Excessive caffeine intake may cause anxiety, restless-ness, gastrointestinal prob-lems, sleeplessness, irritability, headaches or abnormal heart rhythms,” said Lori Greene, the University’s registered dietician. Despite these effects, the good news for coffee drinkers is that there are hidden ben-efits to their daily cup. “With coffee drinking, the positive outweighs the nega-tive. According to recent research studies, drinking one to three cups per day will sub-stantially lower one’s risk of Type II diabetes and the more coffee one drinks, the lower the risk. Coffee drinkers also have a lower incidence of develop-ing Parkinson’s disease, colon cancer, gallstones and dental caries than non-coffee drink-ers,” Lane said. Although the effects of cof-fee can be beneficial, dietary problems can accompany the overly sugary coffee drinks served at many coffee shops. “You also have to remember

that a lot of the coffee that stu-dents are drinking comes with a lot of calories. So an exces-sive intake of coffee or coffee beverages may not only give you unwanted side effects that I mentioned above but it is also not good for your waistline,” Greene said. A coffee addiction can hurt students’ wallets in addition to their bodies. With coffee prices steadily increasing on and off campus, it is common to see a four or five dollar cup of cof-fee. “I wish it was cheaper. I definitely spend all my Dining Dollars on coffee,” Lewis said.However, brewing coffee on your own can save a consider-able amount of cash, Brown said. “I rarely go to Starbucks and don’t really spend a lot of money on coffee. I usually make my own,” Brown said. For those who can’t think of a day without a cup of coffee, the good news is that in mod-eration, coffee is healthy. “It is best to have a moderate amount of coffee just like any other food or beverage. A mod-erate intake of coffee would be two to three cups,” she said. A good alternative to cof-fee is non-caffeinated sodas or antioxidant-rich tea, but for most coffee drinkers, it just wouldn’t do, Lane said. “There’s nothing more satis-fying to a coffee-drinker than the aroma and taste of an excel-lent cup of coffee brewed from high quality coffee beans,” he said.

CLIMATEContinued from page 1

event’s Facebook page. Justinn Trott, a sophomorein New College, coordinated the event after she learned abouta teach-in at a conference she attended. Trott attended the Association for the Advancement ofSustainability and HigherEducation conference, and she said she got the idea from dis-cussing a professor who had come up with such an event pre-viously. Trott said she took the idea of a teach-in and manipulated itto fit the University and its stu-dents. The original teach-in wasset to last 100 days. Trott saidthat she had to change it to fit in just one day. The reason for the teach-in was because it would be a good way to introduce climate change discussion on campus since it can sometimes be an untouch-able or unremembered issue,Trott said. “Our motto is to try to appealoutside the environmentalrealm,” Trott said. “We’re try-ing to make it logical and artsy. Everyone is different so you to try and slant things a certain way to appeal to them.” Trott said she made sure there were many different topics that a variety of students could get interested in. She said she made sure to include the science of cli-mate change, the business of cli-mate change, campus initiatives,human impact and local govern-ment involvement. “This is a really good event,”Trott said. “It’s taken a lot to get all of these professors together.” Daniel Marbury, the president of the Alabama Environmental Council and a junior majoring in musical composition, said one of the reasons for students to come to the teach-in is to show supportfor the act of faculty memberscoming together in one commu-nal event. “It’s important as students to show our support to professors,” Marbury said. “We can showthem we have a collective voiceand encourage them to do more events like this. I think we stu-dents are more connected than the faculty are just because theyare so busy and can get caughtup in their departments. [Theteach-in] is a way to stimulate interconnection between depart-ments.” The teach-in will be in 205 Gorgas Library and students are welcome to walk in and out as they please, Trott said. “I feel like a lot of people argue whether [climate change] is real or not,” Trott said. “But what’simportant than that is that we need to step back and realize we are not the only creatures on this earth. As college studentswe need to take responsibility for our actions.”

“Some coffee drinkers have a higher tolerance for its stimulating effect than others. On average, three to

four cups are consumed per day by 110,000 U.S. coffee drinkers.”

— Ralph Lane, a professor with the department of human nutrition, in the article “Java for thought”

The Crimson White NEWS Wednesday, February 4, 2009 3

LECTUREContinued from page 1

in Israel. Smith said Toameh has become a main source of infor-mation for many journalists visiting the Palestinian ter-ritories. For over 20 years he has covered the Israeli-Arab conflict. Toameh has written for The Jerusalem Post cover-ing Palestinian conflict for five years. His work has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal and on NBC. Toameh lives in Jerusalem but commutes to the Gaza Strip and West Bank to contin-ue his work with the Israeli-Arab conflict. Smith said they wanted to host this event to bring more awareness to students about the Middle East. Emory

College has had many issues with Israeli-Arab attitudes, but has been fortunate enough not to have problems at the Capstone. He said they did not really have fellows in the South for CAMERA, so he applied and got it.

“It’s an amazing opportu-nity,” Smith said. Smith will get to travel to Israel because of his work with CAMERA. He said Toameh was highly recom-mended to CAMERA to speak to students.

dorm sending calls to voice-mail and holding text messag-es in purgatory. I was pretty surprised to make it to Reese Phifer before Denny Chimes got going—maybe because I didn’t waste five minutes that morning checking the weather, e-mail or Facebook.

9 a.m.

Class started. My friend sit-ting next to me was whirling away on his laptop, tempting me. For anyone who’s grown up with computers it’s virtually effortless to gather any nugget of information. I wondered what it was like when people actually had to use a little elbow grease to gain knowledge. “A student or anyone might disregard looking for informa-tion (like books) that is not online,” said Dr. Janis Edwards, associate professor in the department of communication studies. “Technology gives a

false sense of knowledge in that regard. There are many useful online sources out there, but it’s also easy to lose a sense of dis-covery and inquiry that can lead to important resources.” There is a lot of knowledge and recorded history tucked away in dusty books and fragile rolls of microfilm. Each day any infor-mation that can’t be found with a simple Google search feels like more and more of a hassle. Where is this path leading us? “We are becoming a society that is focused on instant grati-fication,” psychology professor Dr. Rosanna Guadagno said. 10 a.m. As soon as the professor dis-missed class, everybody whipped out their cell phones. Though I’ve noticed this before, it was especially obvious on Monday as I cast an envious eye on those wonderful electronic trinkets. “I’m always amazed how many college students walk out of class and immediately start talking to Mom or their high school bud, ignoring the potential of chatting with their classmates (including the possibility of making new

friends with common interests),” Bryant said. “Texting to a rela-tively small but intimate group of significant others has essen-tially redefined what we mean by ‘community’ today for those heavy users of mobile media.”

12:30 p.m.

I returned to my dorm after lunch. On any other day I’d sling off my bookbag and boot up my computer to check my e-mail and Facebook. Instead I had a moment of stupefaction in which I was at a loss for what to do with my life. It was just a moment, though. I remembered I had English homework.

“Many people spend an immense amount of time on Facebook building virtual com-munities,” Bryant said. “In some ways, this is a huge waste of time, but it does provide a lot of satisfaction to some people.” What is the “satisfaction” that Facebook provides? It’s hard to quantify. Facebook is a voy-euristic, mindless timesink that can fulfill all its practical use in about five minutes each day. Yet I spent ten distracted minutes

on it in the midst of writing this article. Why? “There is a lot of ‘personality factor’ [i.e., individual differenc-es] involved here,” Bryant said. “Do you read People magazine or Entertainment Weekly? If so, you’re apt to get very much ‘into’ social networking.” Huh. Perhaps this character-ization will convince me to use Facebook less. I finished my reading assign-ment for English just before class started. On a regular day I would have inevitably wasted five (or fifteen or thirty) minutes on the computer and not fin-ished. Sometimes technology is too good a friend.

4:30 p.m.

Walking back to my dorm from English, I began to feel very acutely invisible. I passed dozens of people, of course, but I didn’t know them and many of them were off in their own little cellular worlds anyway. I thought about how face-to-face interactions, even with friends, have to be predicated with a cursory phone call or text message. Just showing up

at someone’s front door is pretty strange. Everything has to be scheduled, even if only five min-utes beforehand. Lacking the tools necessary for such scheduling, I dipped into the Ferguson Center and grabbed Chick-Fil-A for dinner.

8:30 p.m.

I picked up my phone and looked at it for about twenty seconds. Not kidding. I really like the tactile feeling of the key-board sliding out. “If you define addiction con-servatively, very little technol-ogy-assisted social networking meets the criteria of addiction,” Bryant said. “If you use ‘addic-tion’ more loosely (i.e., I miss it if it isn’t there and it causes me ‘pain’), then [people can be addicted to Facebook or cell phones].” Maybe I looked at it for thirty seconds.

10:30 p.m.

I actually got a lot of work done on Monday, probably more than I would have if I’d been tex-

ting people to watch a movie or looking up rappers’ real names on Wikipedia. It was a quiet day, though, and not just because I had to turn my iPod off too. I felt detached personally from myfriends and intellectually from the vast amounts of information that are always at our fingertips. But if everyone was forced to be detached in this way, people would have to develop new (orrather, old) social constructs to live their lives. Things like plan-ning ahead, having conversa-tions in person and maintaining a fair amount of privacy wouldlikely become the norms of soci-ety. “In some ways, interactionis more intimate [through cell phones and computers], espe-cially if you add social network-ing sites to the mix because manypeople self-disclose tremendousdetail in this way,” Bryant said. “In other ways, cell phones can’t approximate face-to-face interac-tion.”

8:30 a.m., Tuesday

22 e-mails and several missed text messages. I was very, veryglad to have my toys back.

DARK Continued from page 1

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON | The Senate voted Tuesday to give a tax break to new car buyers, setting aside bipartisan concerns over the size of an economic stimulus bill with a price tag approaching $900 billion. The 71-26 vote came as President Barack Obama said he lies awake nights worrying about the economy, and sig-naled opposition to congres-sional attempts to insert “buy American” provisions into the legislation for fear it would spark a trade war. Sen. Barbara Mikulski led the successful effort to allow many car buyers to claim an income tax deduction for sales taxes paid on new autos and interest payments on car loans. She said the plan would aid the beleaguered automobile industry as well as create jobs at a time the economy is losing them at a rapid rate. “I believe we can help by getting the con-sumer into the showroom,” she said. The provision was attached to the economic stimulus bill at

the heart of Obama’s economic recovery plan and is subject to change or even elimination as the measure makes its way toward final passage. Democratic leaders have pledged to have the bill ready for his signature by mid-month, and in a round of network tele-vision interviews, the presi-dent underscored the urgency. He told CNN that even three months ago, most economists would not have predicted the economy was “in as bad of a sit-uation as we are in right now.” He also spoke out against efforts to require the use of domestic steel in construction projects envisioned in the bill, telling Fox News, “we can’t send a protectionist message.” The stimulus bill remains a work in progress, following last week’s party-line vote in the House and an Oval Office meeting on Monday in which Obama and Democratic leaders discussed ways to reach across party lines. In a series of skirmishes dur-ing the day, the Senate turned back a proposal to add $25 bil-lion for public works projects

and voted to remove a tax break for movie producers. Both moves were engineered by Republicans who are critical of the bill’s size and voice skepti-cism of its ability to create jobs. But several hours later, without explanation, GOP con-servatives abruptly dropped their opposition to a $6.5 billion increase in research funding for the politically popular National Institutes of Health. Even so, Democratic lead-ers conceded they may soon be obliged to cut billions of dollars from the measure. “It goes with-out saying if it’s going to pass in the Senate, it has to be biparti-san,” said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Democratic leader, adding that rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties want the bill’s cost reduced. One Democrat, Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, said he hoped for reductions “in the tens of billions of dollars.” The developments unfolded as more companies announced job layoffs — including 5,800 at PNC Financial Services Group. In another sign of economic

weakness, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation pre-dicted the cost of bank failures will exceed its estimate from last fall and urged lawmakers to more than triple the agency’s line of credit with the Treasury Department to $100 billion from the current $30 billion. Mikulski’s office put the cost of the tax break she sponsored at $11 billion over 10 years. It would apply to the first $49,500 in the price of a new car pur-chased between last Nov. 12 and Dec. 31, 2009. Individuals with incomes of up to $125,000 and couples earnings as much as $250,000 could qualify, including those who do not itemize their deductions. A couple would save an estimated $1,553 on a new $25,000 car, aides said. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, sought unsuccessfully to derail

the proposal, saying it would only increase consumer debt in a time of recession and add-ing that there were other provi-sions in the legislation to help the auto industry. But the 71 votes in support were far more than the 60 needed for passage. Earlier, the vote to add $25 billion for new construction on highways, mass transit and water treatment facilities failed 58-38, two short of the 60-vote majority needed for passage. Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., argued the increase would quickly translate into jobs. “Our highways are jammed. People go to work in gridlock,” Feinstein said in arguing for the proposal. But Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., countered, “We can’t add to the

size of this bill. The amount is just inconceivable to most peo-ple.”

Senate approves tax break for new car buyers

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UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA

AT BIRMINGHAM

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Editorial Board

WE WELCOME YOUR OPINIONSLetters to the editor must be less than 200 words and guest columns less than 500. Send submissions to cwopinions@gmail.com. Submissions must include the author’s name, year, major and daytime phone number. Phone numbers are for verification and will not be published. Students should also include their year in school and major. For more information, call 348-6144. The CW reserves the right to edit all submissions.

OPINIONSWednesday, February 4, 2009 Paul Thompson • Editor letters@cw.ua.edu 4

Corey Craft EditorPhil Owen Managing Editor

Kelli Abernathy Chief Copy Editor

James Jaillet Production EditorBreckan Duckworth Design Editor

Paul Thompson Opinions Editor

Imagine sitting in Waffle House, late at night, with your significant other and some friends. You order some coffee while you read over the menu, even though you already know what you’re going to order. You glance around and joke with your friends about the people sit-ting around you. Everything seems normal and everyone seems to be having a good time. You decide to lean over and smooch your significant other, for whatever reason. Now imagine that same scenario, except this time when you lay a big one on your sweetie someone starts yelling at you from across the room and eventually someone calls the cops. You’re then the one who is accused of caus-ing a scene and you and your friends are told to leave. Once the cops get there, they ver-bally attack you and force you to take excessive sobriety tests. Yeah, that sounds like an ideal situation right? All of this happened to some friends of mine this past week, because a girl kissed her girlfriend in Waffle House. Outrageous, I know. Public displays of affection really piss me off, too. Oh wait, I see couples all over campus lounging on each other and eating each other’s faces all the time. Next time I see it I’m going to call the University of Alabama Police Department. I think it’s absurd that two girls or two boys or a boy and a girl, well, that any two peo-ple can’t kiss each other with-out having the cops called on them. I mean it’s just abso-lutely ridiculous. And don’t

dismiss this column just because you think I’m just spouting tired propaganda. This isn’t about political par-ties and what’s “right” or “wrong.” This is about every-one having an equal opportu-nity to live life the way he or she wants to live it. The Declaration of Independence reads, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are cre-ated equal.” Basically, that means it’s obvious that every-one is equal. Here in America we have the freedom of speech and press. We have the right to choose whether or not to own a gun or to let our homes be searched without a war-rant. Why can’t we have the right to choose whom to kiss or love? Last time I checked, love doesn’t hurt people. Now, growing up in Alabama, I know a lot of you are think-ing the Bible says homo-sexuality isn’t right. That’s fine, because, in the United States, we have the freedom to choose religion. For some homosexuals, Christianity is their religion of choice. I

know plenty of homosexuals who are devout Christians, but that isn’t very relevant to my point. What I’m saying is that if your religion gives you reason to believe homosexu-ality is wrong, then don’t be gay. Let other people do what they want and stop butting into their lives. Honestly, it’s none of your business. If you don’t like it, don’t look and let them be. I always hope the ste-reotype of close-minded Alabamians is truly a stereo-type and that there are more civilized people in this beauti-ful place, but I know that isn’t always a reality. If college students, who are supposedly open-minded people for the most part, can’t handle some same-sex PDA, then what is the rest of the state, and the South for that matter, com-ing to? If you don’t believe me, search for “Top Gear red-necks in Alabama part 2” on YouTube. Watch the whole thing. I hope that you all will be as mortified as I was when I saw it. We have recently made huge strides in equal rights when it comes to race. I think it is crucial to make similar progress with equal rights with sexuality and every other aspect of life. Yes, I am actually suggesting that we should actually jump on the bandwagon with some of those Yankees and tree-hug-ging hippies and be more accepting of everyone, no matter how different they might be from you. Jessie Landon is a junior majoring in journalism. Her column runs on Wednesdays.

Equality for everyone — even gays

Late last week, word came out of Zimbabwe that Robert Mugabe, the nation’s dictator for more than two decades, and Morgan Tsvangirai, the long-time opposition leader, had yet again forged an agreement to share power after a flawed elec-tion last spring. Regardless of whether the agreement holds — and given Mugabe’s pun-gent lack of character, there is no guarantee that it will — Tsvangirai has proven himself to be a leader of remarkable poise and unwavering courage, traits that together are rarely matched among the world’s statesmen. While far from per-fect, Tsvangirai, through his words and deeds, has given his beloved Zimbabwe its best chance for a semblance of jus-tice. Three days after Zimbabweans went to the polls last year, I arrived in neighbor-ing South Africa. Picking up a newspaper in Johannesburg, I found a stirring headline: “Mugabe Teeters.” Despite not being on the streets of Harare, I felt like I was hearing a des-perate cry for help through exit poll results. A desperate cry for help that soon grew into shrieks of pain as Mugabe supporters, according to the New York Times, “armed with iron bars and sticks, beat up people who had come to cheer for Mr. Tsvangirai.” The Mugabe assault on democracy did not last a day; rather, each day was a part of a broad, fatal reign of state-sponsored terror. Tsvingirai, in a selfless bid to halt the bloodshed, withdrew from the runoff.

The United States verbally threatened the Mugabe regime in the wake of this most ardent breach of democratic ideals, but the trouble with such an approach is that dictators are anything but ignorant of geo-politics, and they often cling to their power until they breathe their last. An infamous exam-ple of such audacity comes from one of the last century’s most repressive dictators, Mao Zedong of China, who watched seventy million of his coun-trymen die during his tenure. Despite that statistic, one biog-rapher, Jung Chang, writes, “His mind remained lucid to the end, and in it stirred just one thought: himself and his power.” Mugabe might be a socio-pathic autocrat, but he is, and always has been, an astute polit-ical tactician. He recognized that the United States would do little more than to slap him on the wrist with another round of sanctions. Economic sanctions

do not unnerve dictators whohave sent their economies intoeleven-figure inflation. It’s notas if the African nations were going to force Mugabe out; theregion’s most powerful leader,Thabo Mbeki of South Africa,never seemed to find the desire to find his voice to send hisfriend, Mugabe, into exile. Enter Morgan Tsvangirai,who went into self-imposedexile after winning a pluralityof votes in the first round of elections, but not the majorityrequired to avoid a runoff. He is not as shrewd a strategist asMugabe and is perhaps a bit naïve, but Tsvangirai has proven his grit and, moreover, his com-mitment to a just Zimbabwe.He has seen the presidency sto-len from him twice, yet he hasremained nonviolent and cededpower, seemingly, in an effort tomake peace. He has been triedfor treason after his nation’s own intelligence service alleg-edly framed him, but he has notbetrayed the ideals that made him a target of the governmenthe sought to change. He has proven himself to be one of the great champions of democracyin Africa and elsewhere. We are in desperate need ofleaders who champion the ideaof justice. Tsvingarai might not merely be the best hope ofhis nation, but he might be thevoice the world needs to turn tofor courageous, altruistic lead-ership. First, though, we need to help him save Zimbabwe.

Alan Blinder is a freshmanmajoring in history and jour-nalism. He is a regular contrib-utor to The Crimson White.

A quest for justice

On January 23, the Crimson White published an interesting piece on the evolution of the Ferguson Center, our student union, over the past seventy years. Tucked within the text of the article was the roots of a dis-cussion we are just beginning to have here at the University — a discussion that will become much more important over the next several years. It struck me as unfortunate that since 1974 we students have not actually had a build-ing that we can call a “student union.” Now, I realize this may seem like the least intriguing discussion on campus amidst the busyness of our day-to-day lives, but let’s just think about that word a little deeper for a second — union.

Union. The word is worth repeating because it is so ingrained in the essential American experience. Our Founding Fathers estab-lished a fragile union early on with the establishment of the Continental Congress. Thomas Jefferson pointed America

towards “a more perfect union.” In the South alone, hundreds of thousands of people have died over the centuries trying at var-ious times to either tear apart or keep intact various forms of union. The idea of the student union was, for a long time, uniquely Southern. Students could grab a meal, play a game of pool, or chat by the fireplace. Sure, the Ferguson Center serves basically the same purpose (although its name is suggestive of the annoying freckle-faced brother on “Clarissa Explains It All”), but the fact is that there seems to be very little about the Ferguson Center that sparks “unity.” Fresh Food isolates students from their peers simply because they choose to use their meal plans. The pool tables on the basement level are seldom used. The prices in the University Supply Store do nothing but

cause anger and frustration. And, most importantly, there no longer seems to be a small cam-pus feel that the Student Union was established for in the first place. It is certainly a great thing that students are now offered a variety of places to eat and socialize. I would not want to trek all the way from Nott Hall to the Ferguson Center just to grab a sandwich or a cup of cof-fee, but at the same time I am afraid we may be losing some-thing that makes the University so enticing to prospective stu-dents: community. The expanding scope of the campus is creating the sense that Tuscaloosa is a massive urban sprawl. With so many people living off campus — and even those who are on cam-pus can be great distances from each other — it becomes almost impossible for some stu-dents to feel like a part of their

university. We are a school based on tradition and one that prides itself on having a close knit UA community. Certainly we all feel it at football games, but what about in our daily lives? By 2010, the University’s stu-dent enrollment is expected to surpass 28,000. This is certainly wonderful for our nationwide prestige and image. However, I, like many others, must confess that all of this growth can worry me at times. How can we main-tain the quality of life and educa-tion we have come to expect and unquestionably deserve while also making room for growth? The answer lies in how we con-tinue to develop and expand buildings such as our beloved Ferguson Center. If we are to maintain a strong sense of unity on campus then we need a student union that inspires one. My favorite movie, Cool

Runnings, suggests, “People are afraid of what’s different.” If we are prepared and develop a plan for growth and cooperation, we don’t have to be afraid. The pres-ence of so many new faces on campus is exciting. The increas-ing number of international and out-of-state students helps pro-vide a fresh perspective and a better learning experience for all of us. It is our responsibility to make sure we maintain that “small school” feel as we rapidly approach the “big school” size. It is important for us to maintain the best parts of our University even while we are changing. These are certainlyissues we all must think aboutin the coming months and years. As we go forward wemust embrace the spirit of com-munity in what we know as our student union. Kendra Key is a junior majoring in political science. Her column

The problem with our “F-Word”

Alan Blinder

Jessie Landon

Kendra Key

We couldn’t be more excited that the proposal to enlarge Bryant-Denny Stadium has moved into its next step and is being submitted for Board of Trustees approval. UA Athletics, in keeping with longstanding practices, will cover the entire cost of the proj-ect without any assistance from the state or even the University. In an economic climate like this one, we are extremely pleased that the proposed expansion will not cause the state or the University any more financial hardship. Already, the Athletic Department has received $12.5 million in commitments for a

majority of the new skyboxes that will be constructed with the expansion. The project itself aims to add about 9,000 seats, bringing the total number to around 101,000, which will make Bryant-Denny one of the largest stadiums in the SEC. Our only concern is for stu-dents. With enrollment break-ing records every year for the last five, we think more students should be given the opportunity to attend home football games than the current stadium allows. At the very least, we expect the number of student seats to remain proportional to the number we have currently. We would — as many of you would,

too — like to see that proportion increase, however. After all, the reason the University exists is because of the students. All of us, football players included, are here to receive an education and we appreciate the fact that our football team is a major source of entertainment during the fall semester. Given that, we definitely wel-come any proposal that adds student seats to the stadium and couldn’t be more pleased with the expansion in a larger sense.

Our View is the consensus of The Crimson White’s Editorial Board.

OUR VIEW

Stadium expansion a welcome addition

The unity in community

MCT Campus

The Crimson White NEWS Wednesday, February 4, 2009 5Mendelssohn’s 200th Birthday Celebration

Left: The Chorus of Sprites, directed by chorus master William Martin, sings a piece from Men-delssohnʼs Midsummer Nightʼs Dream Music, Op.21 and 61.

CW | Drew Hoover

Above: Linda Thiele and her sons Daniel and An-drew Thiele get refreshments during the intermis-sion of the celebration.

CW | Drew Hoover

Left: Jamie Kelton and Frank Barber perform a scene from A Midsummer Nightʼs Dream on Tuesday afternoon.

CW | Drew Hoover

Below: Various musicians play Mendels-sohnʼs Octet in E-fl at Major, Op. 20 Tuesday afternoon.

CW | Drew Hoover

Above: Peter Rovit (left), Wesley Baldwin (foreground), and Noel Engebretson (background) play Mendelssohnʼs Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op 66 during A Celebration of Felix Mendelssohnʼs 200th Birthday in Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library Tuesday afternoon.

CW | Drew Hoover

Far Left: Edgar Tumajyan, Kit Boulding, Ariana Arcu and Claire “Sookyung” Jeong perform Mendelssohnʼs String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13.

CW | Drew Hoover

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Wednesday, February 4, 2009 Greg Ostendorf • Editor crimsonwhitesports@gmail.com 6SPORTS

By Britton LynnContributing Writer

After starting competition tournaments only five months ago, the Alabama club paint-ball team has already found itself ranked among the top competitors this season. Tyler Estes and Joseph Fowler created the team in January 2007 with hopes of getting just enough people to play. Two years later, the team now has 110 recreational mem-bers and 11 members on their competitive tournament team. Alabama added the tourna-ment component to their team this fall, after deciding they were ready to go to the next level. Tournament paintball in the Class AA Conference consists of five men’s teams, each at opposite ends of the field. The players try to eliminate the other team by “killing” them, while also stealing the flag in the middle of the field and plac-ing it on the opponent’s base. In tournament paintball, the paintballs are shot no faster than 300 feet per second, and a player is considered “dead”

once he or she has been shot with a paintball. “Most of the time when peo-ple see paintball they think, ‘Oh, you just go get guns, go in the woods with your friends and just shoot each other,’ which isn’t what tournament paintball is like at all,” captain Brian Cain said. “Tournament paintball is very organized, very competitive, and it requires a lot of work to be good at it.” After the paintball team finished fifth in their first two competitions at the Tennessee Open in Chattanooga and the Director’s Open in Columbus, Ga., the players’ expectations grew. “We hope to win at least the SEC championship,” Estes said. “We have (the UGA Open) on Feb. 7, and as long as we place fifth or higher in that we will go to the SEC Championship.” Alabama currently sits at No. 22 in the National Collegiate Paintball Association and fifth in the SEC. The key to the Tide’s early success is not just the players’ love of the game, but more so, the commitment they have to each other.

“Every single person is important; you can’t afford for anyone to be making mis-takes,” Cain said. “The differ-ence in any one person being eliminated means a game, a tournament, a season some-times.” Paintball not only requires teamwork, but it also requires dedication. The paintball team has regular practices on Sundays, speed and agil-ity training on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and tournaments on Saturdays from September until July—when the season ends. The players have developed more than a sense of camara-derie through paintball; they have developed pride in the University. “Beside me meeting a lot of new friends, [the paintball team has] gotten me into more of a love for the university,” Fowler, previously a Mississippi State

fan, said. “Being on the team at the University of Alabama has converted me to an Alabama fan in everything and has made me love the University.” The paintball team will be holding their Inaugural Bama Paintball Open Tournament Feb. 28th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To enter in the tournament, a three-man team must be formed, along with a $90 entry fee, which includes three full equipment rentals. The proceeds from the tournament will benefit the paintball team’s expenses and will go towards their prac-tice and tournament costs. The fundraiser will take place at Splatzone Paintball in Cottondale. For more information on joining the UA paintball team or participating in their tour-nament, contact their presi-dent, Tyler Estes, at bama_Paintball@yahoo.com.

PAINTBALL

Alabama captures national recognition

Contributed by UA paintball teamAbove: The Alabama paintball team runs to get in position dur-ing a match last fall. The Tide can reach the SEC Championships with a top fi ve fi nish this weekend at the UGA Open.

Below: Two Alabama paintball players take shots at the oppo-nent while hiding behind barriers.

UA Athletics

Taylor Lindsey began her dual-match career at Alabama with a bang as she was selected

SEC Freshman of the Week on Tuesday by the league office.This is her first weekly honor and seventh overall for the Alabama women’s tennis program. “Taylor put forth a gutsy per-formance on Sunday to clinchagainst Georgia State,” head coach Jenny Mainz said. “She did an excellent job of remain-ing poised and composed under pressure as well as handling the momentum shifts extremely well. Her opponent was persis-tent and hung on challengingTaylor to finish. I felt confidentthat Taylor was fit to respond to this test and did an impressive job of executing. This experience will prove especially helpful down the road.” Lindsey played in a trio of matches last weekend against Tulane and Georgia Stateappearing twice in doubles and once in singles. She and part-ner Paulina Bigos cruised past the Green Wave duo of CarolineGerber and Jessica Lange 8-1 in the No. 2 doubles position Friday. The Tide pair came back Sunday with another stellarshowing at No. 2 with an 8-2 vic-tory over the Panthers’ Dariana Kozmina and Kiara Powell. Lindsey saved her best perfor-mance for last as she clinched the team win for Alabama against Georgia State with a 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-5 marathon win at the No. 6 singles position. Just when it looked like the Panthers’Martina Ondrackova was goingto walk away with the win, Lindsey dominated the last three games to take the set 7-5. With her three victories last weekend, the Birmingham native improves to 3-0 in doublesmatches and 2-0 in singles play.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Tide’s Lindsey honored

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The Crimson White SPORTS Wednesday, February 4, 2009 7

WR RUEBEN RANDLEBastrop, La. Announcing: 12 p.m. Rivals 100: No. 2 List: Alabama LSU Oklahoma

CB/S Janzen JacksonList — LSU, Alabama, Tenn.

RB TRENT RICHARDSONPensacola, Fla. Anncouncing: 4 p.m. Rivals 100: No. 6List: Alabama Florida Florida State LSU

CB DRE KIRKPATRICKGadsden, Ala. Announcing: 2 p.m.Rivals 100: No. 11 List: Alabama Florida Texas

WR Patrick PattersonList — Alabama, Ole Miss, Tenn., Southern Miss.

OT Bobby MassieList — Alabama, UGA, UNC, Ole Miss, Miami

S Darren MylesList — Alabama, LSU, Tenn., UK

ILB Tana Patrick List — Alabama, Auburn, Tenn.

WR Kendall KellyList — Alabama, Clemson, LSU

9:30 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 10 a.m.10 a.m.

ATH Marsalis TeagueList — Alabama, Florida, Tenn.

12 p.m.12 p.m. 2 p.m.2 p.m.9 a.m. 9 a.m.

Rivals.com Rivals.com Rivals.com

TIMELINE OF ANNOUNCEMENTS

STADIUMContinued from page 1

which require a signed pledge of half a million dollars. As a self-supporting entity, the athletic department will not seek funding from state tax money or the University itself. Moore, who said the plan has been in the works for over a year, will seek approval for the South End Zone addition at the UA System Board of Trustees meeting in Birmingham this week. If approved, the project is expected to be finished by the start of the 2010 season. Pending board approval, con-struction is projected to begin in spring. The project would unfold in four distinct phases: utility relocation, demolition of existing structure, audio/visual upgrade and stadium expansion.

The utility relocation phase will account for storm, sewage and domestic water arrange-ments for the South End Zone. The demolition stage will include the removal of the South End Zone scoreboard, pavement and abandoned utili-ties. In the third stage, existing interior audio/visual equip-ment will be removed and replaced with a new system. A new television distribution system, broadcast cabling and exterior sound systems will be installed. The fourth and final phase will include the construction of 8,500 upper deck seats, 1,700 south zone club seats, an upper concourse with concessions and restrooms, 36 skyboxes, Crimson Tide Foundation offices, Donors Hall of Fame, an outdoor market for food and merchandise and two cor-ner video boards.

If approved, the same archi-tectural firms based out of Birmingham and Kansas City that handled the North End Zone expansion will be hired for the new project. “We’re really just turning this around and building the same look in the south,” Moore said. “So, if you’re standing on the 50-yard line and you look south, you look north, they will be identical. An upper deck, two levels of skyboxes, a Zone … will all be in the south.” While Moore said he is only concerned with the current South End Zone expansions, he did not rule out the pros-pect of future projects. The expansion will also have a notable effect on the local economy. Each home game generates over $15 mil-lion for the Tuscaloosa area, Moore said. The extra seating is expected to boost that num-ber by $1.5 million.

Others announcing OLB Barkevious Mingo 8:30 a.m., RB Eddie Lacy 11 a.m., OT/DT Brandon Moore 11 a.m.

By John ZenorThe Associated Press

MONTGOMERY | Auburn’s Gene Chizik and Alabama’s Nick Saban have done all the heavy lifting in lining up recruiting classes, leaving them with little to do but wait and hope. Both Chizik and Saban are awaiting official announce-ments from a number of their top targeted prospects, who won’t tip their hands publicly until Wednesday’s nation-al signing day — when high school players can start sign-ing letters of intent with their college choice — or later. “That’s a little bit

unnerving coming down to the wire,” Chizik said Tuesday afternoon. “In most cases even though they do the press con-ference situation, you usually have a pretty good feel wheth-er it’s you or not. That’s not 100 percent of the time. It can become very nerve-racking as signing day goes on, for sure.” Saban appeared likely to fol-low up the nation’s top class with another group rated in the top five by some recruiting services and could climb even higher with a strong finish. Alabama was still hoping for pledges from several top national prospects, who aren’t revealing their choice until the afternoon. Those include

Pensacola, Fla., running back Trent Richardson and Gadsden cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick. Richardson has given the Tide a nonbinding verbal com-mitment but has continued vis-iting other schools. Rivals.com rates Richardson the No. 2 running back prospect (sixth overall) and Kirkpatrick the top cornerback (No. 11 overall). ESPN.com tabbed Kirkpatrick the fourth-best prospect. Wide receiver Rueben Randle of Bastrop (La.) High is expected to choose between Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma or LSU. He is rated the second-best prospect overall by Rivals and considered the consensus

No. 1 receiver despite playing quarterback as a senior. Generally the top-rated play-er in Alabama’s class is 6-foot-7, 350-pound offensive tackle D.J. Fluker of Foley High School. Linebacker Nico Johnson of Andalusia has also committed to playing for the Tide. At Auburn, Chizik has had only about six weeks since his hiring to fill out and maintain the class started by former coach Tommy Tuberville’s staff. He also made a run at some of the nation’s top recruits and

attempted to capitalize on rela-tionships built by his new assis-tant coaches at their former schools. “The reality is that we’re here at Auburn,” Chizik said. “We’re one of the best pro-grams in the country and have been. It would just make sense that we’re going to go after the best players in the country. That’ll never change as long as I’m here. It shouldn’t be any other way. “Obviously if everything checks out as far as character,

grades and everything, we’re not going to take a back seat toanybody.” Chizik’s first class, ranked among the nation’s top 20, fig-ures to be heavy on linemen,running backs and receiverswith a couple of quarterbacks. The Tigers are expectedto sign quarterback TyrikRollison, who was initiallyrecruited by new Auburn assis-tant Curtis Luper for OklahomaState. Rivals rates him the nation’s No. 2 dual-threat quar-terback.

Chizik, Saban in waiting game for prized prospects

CW | Eric Mchargue

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LIFESTYLESWednesday, February 4, 2009 Ryan Mazer • Editor ryan.mazer@cw.ua.edu 8

By Peterson HillContributing Writer

“Slumdog Millionaire” is a cinematic miracle. Every once in a while, a movie comes along that captures you from the first shot until the last credit rolls into black, and then follows you home through the night. Danny Boyle’s jug-gernaut of the awards sea-son is simple in structure but dynamic in every other way. The movie catapults itself onto the screen, exploding with life and despair while never set-tling for cheap gimmicks. The construction of the plot isn’t going for any new ground, but Boyle’s direction is sharp and immediate. The movie constantly makes the audience become active with the screen. The Mumbai loca-tions aren’t passive, but wild, beautiful and haunting. The location isn’t just there to serve as a backdrop, but rath-er becomes the heart and soul of the film. As the city grows around the main character of Jamal, he grows with it. The film chronicles the life of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), structuring his story around an episode of the Indian “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”

When the film opens, he is being tortured by the police — who don’t believe an unedu-cated orphan could know the answers to the questions on the show and consequently suspect him of cheating. The film flashes back to his appearance on the show, and as each question is asked, it also flashes back to the expe-riences of his life that have provided the answers. These

segments of his life are some-times hilarious while others are dark and very disturb-ing. I suspect that some of the stories will grow fond in the minds of moviegoers over the years. Most of the questions lead to stories centering on Latika (Freida Pinto), who is the love of his life. They meet at a very young age but are forced apart by circumstance on sev-

eral different occasions. Jamal became interested in “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” because of the thought that Latika might watch. Several of the stories involve his broth-er, Salim (Madhur Mittal) and focus on their tales as orphans and eventual rise to manhood. But the true heart of the story is the romance between Jamal and Latika. Both of them lead

lives of utter despair; however neither loses sight of the good. Even when all hope is lost for their relationship, the mere thought of the other is enough to get them through. There isn’t a part of me that doubts that this film will build steam over the years. In many respects, it may come to be received like “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Both are exuberant hymns to what it means to be human. Many people subscribe to the belief that happiness only comes from understand-ing what it means to go through hell. Jamal Malik is the perfect example of someone never los-ing sight of the good in life. However little there may be, he constantly holds onto it. The most important charac-ter is the location. Never has a location seemed more alive — a feeling created by the barefoot children running in the trash-ridden streets of Mumbai, large skyscrapers overlooking the slums, the glory and beauty of the Taj Mahal and the powerful pull-back of the camera to show the vast expanse of the slums that Jamal inhabits. In no way is this film depress-ing, though. It may track some darker material at points and show widespread poverty and violence, but this is one of the

most hopeful of all films. There are rarely films thishailed by critics and the gen-eral public alike. But “SlumdogMillionaire” is that exception. Itis the frontrunner for the BestPicture at the Academy Awardsand deserves to be. Rarely dofilms come that filled with thismuch life. I guess, sometimes, things arejust written.

Oscar frontrunner weaves a stirring taleMOVIE REVIEW | ‘SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

By Tyler DeierhoiLifestyles Reporter

Author and scholar

Jerry W. Ward Jr. will be giv-ing a public reading of his newest book, “The Katrina Papers: A Journal of Trauma

and Recovery,” today at 4 p.m. in 205 Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library. On Thursday, Ward will be participating as a panelist at a Community Conversation with Brice Miller, the assis-tant director of the Crossroads Community Center. The panel focuses on Hurricane Katrina and the events that trans-pired in its wake. Attendees will be invited to talk about their own experiences with the storm as well as partici-pating in thought-provoking conversation with the panel. The Community Conversation will take place at noon in 301 Morgan Hall. Ward, a professor of English and African World Studies at Dillard University in New Orleans, attended Tougaloo College, where he would later return to teach after earning

his doctorate and serving a tour of duty in Vietnam. He taught at his alma mater for 32 years before being invit-ed by the Provost of Dillard University to join the faculty. He left Mississippi for New Orleans, where he has been teaching ever since. Ward left for Vicksburg, Mississippi the day before the storm hit. He began writ-ing after discovering that he would not be able to return

to New Orleans for at least a month. “I started writing the ‘Katrina Papers’ not having in mind that a book would emerge,” he said. “I said, ‘Well, I’ve got to do some-thing to preclude my going completely mad,’ so I started writing.” He wrote everyday, focus-ing not on the reports from the media or the stories com-ing out of the disaster area, but on an evaluation of the individual response to the events. “I wanted to know, ‘How does one behave after being displaced?’” he said. “You’re stranded, not knowing for a very long time whether you have a house or not or how much you’ve lost. I wanted to know what that does to your sense of who you are and where you were before this rupture. It’s an exploration of the human mind over a year’s period.” Ward found the writing therapeutic, letting his mood for the day dictate the sub-stance of what he wrote. The writing was unplanned and came to him as he worked.

The book has no underly-ing theme or message, though Ward said the work might suggest that despite suffering emotional pain, people can endure. This endurance, he said, comes at a cost. “I suggested to myself that the endurance had to do with irrationality,” he said, describ-ing the effect of his coping method. “I became a bit more eccentric, but that’s not a bad thing.” Ward hopes students who attend the reading will be curious and take away a sense of the importance of language as a power. “Every human being has not one story, but many sto-ries,” he said. “The only way you access all the stories you have in your memory is by taking a tiny plunge.”

Recovery of a traumatized author

If you go...

What: Community Conver-sation panel with Ward and Brice Miller

When: Thursday at noon

Where: 301 Morgan Hall

What: Author Dr. Jerry W. Ward Jr. reads from his book, “The Katrina Papers: A Journal of Trauma and Recovery.”

When: Today at 4 p.m.

Where: 205 Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library

Ward refl ects on Katrina in reading, discussion

‘Slumdog Millionaire’

Director: Danny Boyle

Starring: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mit-tal, Irrfan Kahn, Prem Anil Kapoor

Runtime: 120 minutes

Critic’s rating:

Bottom Line: “Slumdog Millionaire” is a large, boisterous entertainment; a powerful assertion of the human spirit and what it can endure.

“The only way you access all the stories you have in

your memory is by taking a tiny plunge.”

-Jerry W. Ward Jr.

rottentomatoes.comDanny Boyleʼs “Slumdog Millionaire,” which has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards includ-ing best picture, is now playing at the Cobb Hollywood 16.

The Student Government Associationand

the Office of the Dean ofStudents

honors the memory of

Caroline E. Hartramphwith a Denny Chimes memorial tribute

2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

February 4, 2009Friends and members of the University

community are invited to gather near the chimes.

Ferguson Center • Tutwi ler Hal l • Bryant Museum • supestore.ua.edu

The Crimson White LIFESTYLES Wednesday, February 4, 2009 9

Williams plays Jupiter tonightINTERVIEW | KELLER WILLIAMS

By Matt Abbey Contributing Writer In a jam scene flush with talent, Keller Williams stands out. Self-described as “just another freak on the scene,” he has recently completed a suc-cessful tour with his band the W.M.D.’S., and began a solo tour in January. Williams’s unique solo style incorporates an intimate acoustic sound reminiscent of Michael Hedges to a looped dance vibe that gets its roots from the music of Al Jarreau. Keller, who plays tonight at the Jupiter Bar & Grill, spoke with The Crimson White in January about his upcoming solo shows, bluegrass and his past.

CW: You recently preformed on cruise ship music festival Jam Cruise. What was that like?

Williams: I have done about four of those, and they have always been a total blast. I real-ly enjoyed my time on the boat; it’s like a floating hippie festival. There is a lot of time before the music starts to just be on vaca-tion and lounge around, just being out at sea and looking out to the horizon and seeing noth-ing but water is pretty amaz-ing, and then your surrounded by good music. If you’re a big fan, the walls between fan and artist are really crushed, and that is special to be amongst the musicians that you appreci-ate, myself included.

CW: If you had to pick one

song, written by yourself, for a college age kid to listen to that adeptly describes you both musically and lyrically, what would it be?

Williams: Well, that’s kind of tough. The one that people sing along to the most would be “Freeker by the Speaker.” That’s the one that gets the most downloads.

CW: What was it like going over to Bob Weir’s (The Grateful Dead) house to record the song “Cadillac” on your album, “Dream?”

Williams: That was very sur-real. The whole process of that coming about actually took about a year and half. He is very kind and generous and

welcoming. I am sure he knew that I was [a] little bit nervous and he definitely was very cool. It was a very pleasurable expe-rience.

CW: You can hear Weir’s dog barking in the song. Why did you guys decide to leave him in there?

Williams: Bobby wanted a foot-tapping track. This was after I was gone. He had cork floors in the studio, and felt the sound of flesh on the bottom of his foot sounded really good and he wanted to record that. So he did and the dog was outside the screen door and he started barking. We left it in and it felt really organic and natural and

See WILLIAMS, page 10

billboard.prweb.comKeller Williams, the “one-man jam-band,” plays Jupiter Bar and Grill tonight at 8.

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like home-studio style, which is what it was. I wanted to leave everything that Bobby put into that song.

CW: The song eventually won a Jammy for “song of the year,” but I remember listening to it for the first time going, “Is that really a dog?”

Williams: It’s very Grateful Dead-y. You know what I mean? There is the record where they are at Radio City Music Hall and the dog walks out on stage. The dog thing to me is very Grateful Dead-scene oriented.

CW: When Bill Nershi decided to leave String Cheese, he cited the growing gap between their dance-party/trance style and the their bluegrass roots. Do you find it hard separating these two styles in your own music?

Williams: No, I don’t really need to separate it. I think they go well together. Bluegrass and techno is something that is very similar, it’s just different instru-ments. They both have the “doontz” quality. Spelled d-o-o-n-t-z. If you were to say the word “doontz” five times you would have a dance-beat. The “z” part is the downbeat and the “doont” part is kind of the baseline for bluegrass…they are so similar it seems logical to play both parts at the same time. And that is one of the things I love about String Cheese—was their ability to jump from genre to genre.

CW: A lot of people listened to the Grateful Dead’s “Reckoning”and Jerry Garcia’s music with David Grisman and were exposed to bluegrass for the first time. Your album, “Grass,” and performances with the Keels (Jenny and Larry Keel) and Jeff Austin (Yonder Mountain String Band), seem to do the same thing now. Do you see yourself in that same genre, as exposing people to an American musical tradition?

Williams: Yeah, well I grew up on bluegrass music and never really went out and bought it. It was always around on the radio or at festivals in my hometown; it was a very bluegrass-friendly area. Once I actually started to purchase the records, I was in the same boat. It was because of “Old & In the Way,” and I guess “Reckoning” came first…[those records] kind of opened my ears to that genre once again, and once that happened I kind of delved into it deeper. And you know, “Old & in The Way?” They were playing songs like “Wild Horses,” and that is a Rolling Stones song.

CW: I see your point there, maybe correlating between your Tom Petty covers and [Pink] Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” on “Grass.”

Williams: Sure, and I really want to do a follow-up to that record, maybe dive more into crazy covers, exploring the bluegrass realm without actually playing traditional bluegrass songs. It’s such a cool genre that I love so much.

CW: [Jerry] Garcia and [David] Grisman came out with an album called “Not For Kids Only.” Doc Watson has a kid’s album, too. What motivated you musically to do an album for children?

Williams: The songs are writ-ten and I am going to give myself time to do it. It seems this music is so silly in some ways, and I have two kids and I am silly and lighthearted and it seems like a perfect fit…the record is going to come with a warning, though: “May not be suitable for uptight parents over forty.”

CW: You incorporate some really random covers into your sets, like C.W. McCall’s “Crispy Critters.” How do you decide to play a cover?

Williams: [Laughs] A lot of times [the songs] choose me, I will be walking around and I will start singing songs and they will kind of creep into my psyche, but other times they will just be songs that I have been listening to.

CW: Have artists like Ani Difranco or Michael Franti ever commented to you on your inter-pretation of their songs?

Williams: I met Ani Difranco like in 1995, and I was covering her songs then. I don’t think she really cares one way of the other. I definitely pay royalties on the stuff that I have recorded, though.

CW: What is it like going back to touring by yourself after playing with a band for a while? Do you miss those guys?

Williams: I totally miss them. I have been touring with the band for the past 18 months or so, and I haven’t really done a solo tour like this for a long time. I am really excited to get back at it and play some of this material that I have not been playing for a long time. But there is definitely an energy that is unrivalled with the band that I could nowhere near reach as a solo act. But I try to.

CW: Do you miss the days when you were really on your own, without a crew—when your future was still uncertain, what the songs “Running on Fumes” and “Stinky Green” are about?

Williams: Oh, yeah. I totally miss those days. I think about it all the time. There were defi-nitely lots of gigs with no cover charge. Lots of little restaurants and bars where I was that guy in the corner, and sometimes the audience, [laughs] or the people that were there drinking, they wouldn’t be paying attention, therefore I wouldn’t be paying attention to them. So it was kind of like a paid rehearsal, very low pressure, low stress, there was no worry about tickets being sold, because there were no tick-ets being sold; it was free.

CW: That reminds me of one my favorite sets. It is from 1994 or 1995, and it’s at Phil’s (Phil’s Grill, Virginia Beach, VA). You are about ready to play “Franklin’s Tower” and you say, “I will let you in on a little secret: You’re all drunk and we suck.”

Williams: [Laughs] I must have

been playing with someone then.

CW: You were playing with this girl. She sang, “What I am,” by Eddie Brickell. She had like a little djembe or something.

Williams: I think there was another guy, I can’t remember his name, but I remember he would come out and play shows with me, and then Donna Rowe would sing with me. That’s really funny, it’s probably a pretty clean soundboard tape that I recorded myself.

CW: Yeah, in the set you play a Dave [Matthews] cover, and then in the chorus — and this is like 1994 or 1995 — you sing, “Dave is such a pop god.” I always thought that was kind of prophetic, espe-cially how his career played out.

Williams: [Laughs] Well, that’s when Dave, Dave Matthews, was blowing up, his songs were on all different kinds of radio stations. It wasn’t just on pop radio, it was rock radio. He was all over the place. He started out in Charlottesville, so being from Virginia, Dave was, just like you, you said “Dave.” You don’t have to say, “Dave Matthews.” It’s like “Dave,” and everyone would know. Having stars in my eyes trying to make a living playing music, you definitely looked at Dave like he made it. He has great songs and great arrange-ments. He is where he is for a reason.

CW: Your lyrics are kind of manic-depressive, minus the depressive. Do you ever write songs when you are

bummed out?

Williams: I have a song [that I wrote] recently that is comingout on the next solo record that was written in the middle of an ear infection. The pain was just overwhelming. As far as writingabout love lost and stuff like that,those songs do exist, but that’s one about pain.

CW: You have a song called “Inhale to the Chief,” which ref-erences, among other things, theprevious democratic adminis-tration. Do you support Barack Obama with other artists suchas the Dead?

Williams: Sure. Yeah Man. [long pause] When I think of politics, I think of Washington D.C., andwhen I think of Washington D.C., I think of the Washington Redskins, and next year theycould…go…all…the way. Go Skins.

CW: Thanks a lot.

Williams: You got it.

WILLIAMS Continued from page 9

Phoenix confi rms he’s walking the hip-hop line

NEW YORK | Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich tells David Letterman he keeps thinking he’ll wake up and people will realize “this is just one big misunderstanding.” The ousted governor showed up Tuesday for a taping of CBS’ “Late Show with David

Letterman.” He laughed with the audience when Letterman mentioned watching him on several television talk shows. Letterman joked that the more Blagojevich talked and repeated his claims of inno-cence, the more the host said to himself, “Oh, this guy is

guilty.” The Illinois Senate convict-ed Blagojevich last week of abuse of power. He also facesfederal charges includingallegations he tried to profit from selling President BarackObama’s U.S. Senate seat.

LOS ANGELES | Joaquin Phoenix says there’s no hoax about it: He really has given up acting to become a hip-hop musi-cian. Phoenix has been spending his time laying down tracks for a rap album in the recording studio he

built at his home, the two-time Academy Award nominee said Tuesday in an interview to pro-mote what he claims is his final movie, “Two Lovers.” After video hit the Internet last month capturing part of Phoenix’s debut rap performance

at a Las Vegas club, speculation swirled that he was perpetrating an elaborate practical joke. “I don’t know where that comes from,” Phoenix said. “If it comes from people that I’ve had a falling out with, that are [ticked] off at me?”

Blagojevich tells Letterman he’s misunderstood

If you go...

What: An Evening with Keller Williams

When: Tonight at 8

Where: Jupiter Bar & Grill

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